You have got a little more than a minute to get your audience hooked to your course from the very beginning. So, the first couple of slides are the most important for any eLearning course. You need to answer the following questions in those slides to ensure that the learners stay on.

What is in this course for me?

How will it help me?

Are the content and delivery right for me?

Is it interesting?

Your objective is to answer the above questions in the most efficient manner in the first two minutes. If you can do that, you have gained the trust and interest of your audience, and all the hard work that has gone into creating the learning is justified.

Read on to know about four interesting techniques for making your introductions powerful.

Technique 1 – Show the gap

A great way to answer “What’s in it for me?” is to show the learners where they stand now vis-à-vis where they will stand once they complete the course. Take, for example, learning to operate a new system. Talk to them about the difficulties they are facing now and how these complexities can be overcome once they take the course. This technique works wonders, as all of us want to simplify our lives.

Technique 2 – A picture is worth a thousand words

Images are a powerful medium to hook a learner. Use powerful and relevant images to take across your point. Use less text and more images. Try not to use evident ones, though! For example, if you are talking about compliance, the obvious choice would be to use pictures that signify rules. Avoid the evident. You could use an image of an individual behind bars and then go on to talk about how non-compliance can get you imprisoned. This will have a shock factor. It might make the learner think, “Oh! That could have been me.”

You need not only depend on the stock photos. You can create your own collage, and you do not need a graphic designer for that.

Technique 3 – Weave stories

Stories create an emotional connection. It is the best way to hook an audience irrespective of their age. Start with a story that is relevant to your learner. Personalise it, but keep it succinct. You can even use an avatar to present the story and later use it to guide the learners through the modules.

Keep in mind that if you want to use the storytelling technique for your introduction, then you have to tie it up with the subject matter at the end. Otherwise, there is no point.

Technique 4 – Use multimedia

Starting a course with a video presentation is an interesting idea. You may want to get the help of your SMEs to communicate with the audience. Learners seem to respond better to experts. They may get the required boost of motivation when successful people in authority tell them how they can benefit from the course.

Of course, make it fun and interesting. No one wants to hear a monologue at the beginning of a course. You don’t want to put off your audience from the first slide.

As a learning professional, you are committed to dish out learning that will benefit your learners. But that is not the end of your responsibilities. You also need to motivate them enough so that they actually go through the course that you have so painstakingly created. And you only have a couple of minutes to do so at the very beginning. Make sure you hook them right!